According to chance expressions there are no rare models but says the white intaglio handkerchief vase is rare. Also any info, designer, period, and how long produced would be most appriciated.Also what would be a price guide so as not to pay over the odds. Thanks in advance Mark

Not sure how much more I could write about the Chance handkerchief vase at the time, but since writing Chance Expressions there has been a wealth of new information. This will be published in Chance Additions, which I hope to finish this year and, amongst many new finds, will detail new handkerchief vases - ever seen one decorated in Calypto, for example?

However, there are several instances of rare and scarce vase, which are noted in the book (p.101 mentions "All the coloured intaglio patterns are rare..."), and Cut Pearl is one of these. But the purpose of not including a Price Guide was deliberate. In my opinion a Scarcity Guide is far more beneficial - a vase selling for £50 two years ago, could only be "worth" £15 now. So who can tell, or forecast, the whims of the market? Particularly when we are in the middle of a double-dip recession! And since eBay has flourished, this has opened up the market and made it possible for people to assess the relative worth of items on the day, but certainly not the week after!

So if you go to pp.109–111 there are charts detailing vases by observation. A sample size of 1,331 compiled over an 18-month period. This allows anyone to quickly check whether a vase is rare, scarce or common. Of course, this does not stop people buying vases that can be relatively common, like the Psychedelic vase, when a quick check shows the Carré (Escher) vase to be scarcer! Of course, the Psychedlic model is more fashionable/retro and is therefore highly sought after.

Incidentally, I have noticed other collectors books that are including Scarcity Guides, so hopefully the rather misleading Price Guides will become redundant.

Just confirmed my thinking as you say its on the day but many thanks for all the input. Its like last year i had an opaque white with full yellow print just showing 5cm of white rim a pleasure to find and hold all the best and thanks again

This allows anyone to quickly check whether a vase is rare, scarce or common.

... but not necessarily collectable!"

This means that some vases can be quite scarce/rare but are simply not very inspiring as a collectors' item. For example the 4-in Cordon pattern in tangerine is common as hell, but the 5-in model (in common with others of this size) is very scarce - but how well would it sell?